Swire Shipping to offer new service, upgrade coverage

The liner shipping division of The China Navigation Company (CNCo) will launch a new Pacific Islands twice monthly direct service from Australia to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji from July, offering flexible containerised and breakbulk solutions.

The new Pacific Islands service provides connections to Tarawa (Kiribati), Majuro (Marshall Islands), Apia (Samoa), Pago Pago (American Samoa) and Nuku’alofa (Tonga) and further improves Swire Shipping’s Fiji to Vanuatu connection with three sailings per month. Two purpose-built vessels will be deployed for the South Pacific trades to service this route.

“In conjunction with the Pacific Islands service, Swire Shipping will enhance its existing network coverage to bring about faster and more flexible multipurpose liner services to Asia, Australia, New Zealand, PNG and key Pacific Islands markets,” Swire Shipping stated.

The Australia to PNG service will offer a faster eight-day frequency, while the Australia to the Solomon Islands service frequency will be improved to 16 days.

The New Zealand and Fiji to PNG connection will be boosted with the addition of a Port Moresby call on every sailing, and the frequency will be improved to 16 days.

Swire Shipping will also enhance port rotation from Asia to the Pacific, offering a monthly frequency and market leading transit times to Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga. Each month, there will be up to five direct calls from PNG to Asia and two direct services from Fiji to PNG.